The present invention relates to a vending machine for vending articles, most notably beverage or food containers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vending machine having a cabinet with a plurality of vertically spaced shelves, and an xe2x80x9cX-Yxe2x80x9d picker assembly for receiving a packaged beverage from a shelf and for delivering the packaged beverage to a delivery port in a front face of the cabinet, or to another location as desired.
Various vending machines are known which dispense articles from shelves or storage bins. Conventionally, the dispensed articles fall, under the influence of gravity, away from the shelf or storage bin. A chute is typically located in the path of the falling article and directs the falling article to a discharge port located beneath the shelves or storage bins.
Such conventional vending machines do not fully utilize the interior space of the vending machine. Since gravity is used to deliver the article to the discharge pork the space adjacent and beneath the discharge cannot be used to store vendable articles. Therefore, the discharge port is typically located in the lower portion of the vending machine, which may not always be suitable for the users.
In such prior art dispensing apparatuses, there may also be multiple escapement mechanisms, one for each row of products, which are configured to dispense one of the products iron the front of each row. As may be understood, such escapement mechanisms tend to add to the cost and burden the reliability of the forty-five (45) separate escapement mechanisms.
Other known devices include U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,628 and German Patent No. DE-U-946212. The U.S. reference shows a dispenser that moves an article in or out of a storage compartment via a bin. The bin is operable in the Z-direction via a slide guide. The German reference apparently shows a dispenser that removes an article from a storage compartment via a piercing device that moves in the Z-direction.
Glass door vendors include a glass door on the front, with the glass door being opened from the front by the servicing personnel. This allows the servicing personnel to access the products through a front opening. Products are also visible by the consumer, which is an advantage. However, packout is also a consideration in the building of the devices, especially if the products are standing upright, and have different heights. In such a situation the highest product on a particular shelf may result in poor packout if other lower products are used within the same shelf. Furthermore, the gear motors are used To drive the coils in each of the product dispensing areas in the glass door vendors again tend to add to the cost and burden the reliability of the overall dispensing apparatus.
However, the glass door vendors do have advantages; when a customer walks up to a glass door vendor, he/she can see whether or not there is product in the machine. If a customer cannot see the product, there may be some hesitation on behalf of the customer to use the vendor. The known dispensing devices described above would not be useful in the glass door vendor applications because The dispensers would block the view of the customer to the products.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved product vending apparatus which allows for viewing of the products, provides improved packout, and accommodates a variety of dispensing schemes, while still remaining cost-efficient and reliable.
The present invention overcomes deficiencies in the prior art by providing an improved product vending apparatus which allows for viewing of the products, provides improved packout, and accommodates a variety of dispensing schemes, while still remaining cost-efficient and reliable.
Generally described, the invention is directed towards an apparatus for storing and dispensing a plurality of products, the apparatus comprising a frame, a plurality of storage locations for storing the products, a discharge location, and a picking apparatus configured to withdraw the products from any one of the storage locations, transport them singularly for a distance, and dispense them into the discharge location.
Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved dispensing apparatus and method of using same.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved dispensing apparatus which allows for viewing of the products.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved dispensing apparatus which provides improved pack-out.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved dispensing apparatus which accommodates a variety of dispensing schemes.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved dispensing apparatus which is cost-efficient to manufacture and operate.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved dispensing apparatus which is reliable.